Become part of the team that safeguards the financial system from the abuses of financial crime. At the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), we are at the forefront in preventing and detecting terrorist financing, money laundering, and other financial crime. Serve at the nation's financial intelligence unit and protect the United States financial system from criminals and terrorist financiers.
Summary
Become part of the team that safeguards the financial system from the abuses of financial crime. At the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), we are at the forefront in preventing and detecting terrorist financing, money laundering, and other financial crime. Serve at the nation's financial intelligence unit and protect the United States financial system from criminals and terrorist financiers.
FinCEN attorneys support all aspects of FinCEN’s mission to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes. For instance, attorneys in the office provide legal advice on civil enforcement actions and the use of targeted financial measures under Section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act; drafting and interpreting Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) regulations; drafting memoranda of understanding for the sharing of financial intelligence between FinCEN and other federal, state, local, and foreign agencies; and participating in special agency projects. This position serves as the office’s lead attorney for matters involving personnel and employment law, including matters involving FinCEN’s Office of Security. The incumbent will provide counsel on employment law and/or labor law matters, including research, negotiation, litigation, and settlement processes; will advise management, including senior Bureau leadership, on legal and policy aspects of such matters; will advise FinCEN’s Office of Security on all aspects of its security mission; will represent FinCEN before the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or similar tribunals, as well as coordinate with the Department of Justice for matters within this portfolio involving federal court litigation; and will coordinate with Main Treasury counterparts in connection with any of these duties as necessary. The incumbent will work closely with FinCEN’s Management Division – including FinCEN’s Chief Financial Officer, Human Resources Officer, and Chief of Security – as well as FinCEN managers and FinCEN leadership. In addition to employment and labor law matters, the incumbent may also be assigned to matters involving the full range of FinCEN national security- and law enforcement-related legal practice, including matters involving the Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts; the Federal Tort Claims Act; the Administrative Procedure Act; administrative law; procurement; federal rules of ethics, and constitutional law. The incumbent will exercise a high degree of independent judgment and initiative in recognizing problems; determining when issues need to be elevated to the attention of an Assistant Chief Counsel, the Deputy Chief Counsel, or the Chief Counsel; handling sensitive issues; and offering thoughtful, creative, and practical solutions in a clear and straightforward manner.
The following are the duties of the position at the GS-15.
Performs legal research and provides legal and practical conclusions in the form of oral advice, briefings, presentations, and legal decision memoranda on extremely complex and difficult factual, legal and policy issues.
Analyzes, interprets, and applies statutes, regulations, court decisions, Departmental precedents, FinCEN policies, and technical publications in complex factual and legal situations.
Provides counsel to FinCEN officials on the broad range of issues that arise in the performance of their respective duties.
Responds timely to client requests for legal and business advice, directly or as assigned; reacts to changing priorities; and anticipates, identifies and informs clients of legal issues that may arise in the context of specific matters.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Security Clearance
Security Clearance: This is a Special Sensitive (Level 4) position that requires a Top Secret/SCI Security Clearance and completion of a favorable Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information. The incumbent must maintain a current TS Clearance with SCI Access by successfully completing periodic reinvestigations. Applicants are encouraged to note on their application materials if they presently possess a valid security clearance or if they have previously possessed such a clearance (including the date(s) on which any such previous clearance was last active).
Please refer to "Conditions of Employment." Click "Print Preview" to review
Specialized Experience: Minimum qualification requirements for grades beyond the entry-level shall be a year of pertinent professional legal experience equivalent to the next lower grade. The experience may have been gained in either the public or private sector. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume
Qualifications
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
First professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) from an ABA accredited law school and an active bar membership of a State, Territory of the United States, District of Columbia or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as well as excellent written and oral communication skills.
Demonstrated experience in employment law and/or labor law, including experience practicing before the Merit Systems Protection Board and/or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, is required.
Additional information
- This is an Excepted Service position. - We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. - This is a non-bargaining unit position.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: - A one year trial period may be required. - Must successfully complete a single scope background investigation. - Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency. - If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so. - Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer. - Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. - Submit to a drug test prior to your appointment and random drug testing while you occupy the position. - File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report upon hire and on an annual basis thereafter.
All candidates will be considered regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, protected genetic information, status as a parent, lawful political affiliation, marital status, physical/mental disability (if not a job factor), membership, non-membership in an employee organization, or any other non-merit factor. To file a complaint of discrimination, contact FinCEN, Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity on (703) 905-5052 or TDD (703) 905-3838.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and Veterans' preference documentation, if applicable. Applicants also are encouraged to provide a cover letter that briefly (no more than two pages) explains their experience in any of the areas identified in the “Qualifications” section of this announcement.
Your application package will be evaluated for basic qualification requirements and for the skills needed to perform the duties of the position, as described in this vacancy announcement and identified by the Selecting Official.
Application of Veterans’ Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans’ preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the FinCEN Office of Chief Counsel considers veterans’ preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. If you are claiming veterans’ preference, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge.
Do NOT include your social security number on any part of your application materials.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Please note that all required documents must be received by the closing date and that we will determine your eligibility and qualifications based solely on the material received by the closing date.
Application of Veterans’ Preference: If you are claiming veterans’ preference, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
FinCEN provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
To begin, either click the “Create a New Account” button and follow the prompts to register or if you previously registered, click the "Apply Online" button and follow the prompts.
You will be re-directed to FinCEN’s CareerConnector system to complete your application process; answer the online questions, and submit all required documents. (To submit supporting documents, click one of the available options; Upload; Fax; or Reuse existing documents. To protect your privacy, we suggest you first remove your SSN). Also, go to “My Account” to view and update your information, as necessary.
To complete, you must click the “Finish” button located at the bottom of the “Application Review” page.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)
P.O. Box 39
Vienna, Virginia 22183
United States
Next steps
1. Login to your USAJOBS account, select the "Applications" section and click on the vacancy you would like to view and have already applied for.
2. Under "application status," click "additional application information" and you will be taken to the CareerConnector website where you can check your application status. The "additional application information" link may not be available if your application status is "Unavailable." This indicates that your application is not complete.
If the "additional application information" link is not available and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to the CareerConnector portion of the application.
If your contact information changes after the closing date of this vacancy announcement, send your updated information to legalvacancy@fincen.gov to ensure you can be contacted throughout the selection process. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Please note that all required documents must be received by the closing date and that we will determine your eligibility and qualifications based solely on the material received by the closing date.
Application of Veterans’ Preference: If you are claiming veterans’ preference, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
FinCEN provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
To begin, either click the “Create a New Account” button and follow the prompts to register or if you previously registered, click the "Apply Online" button and follow the prompts.
You will be re-directed to FinCEN’s CareerConnector system to complete your application process; answer the online questions, and submit all required documents. (To submit supporting documents, click one of the available options; Upload; Fax; or Reuse existing documents. To protect your privacy, we suggest you first remove your SSN). Also, go to “My Account” to view and update your information, as necessary.
To complete, you must click the “Finish” button located at the bottom of the “Application Review” page.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)
P.O. Box 39
Vienna, Virginia 22183
United States
Next steps
1. Login to your USAJOBS account, select the "Applications" section and click on the vacancy you would like to view and have already applied for.
2. Under "application status," click "additional application information" and you will be taken to the CareerConnector website where you can check your application status. The "additional application information" link may not be available if your application status is "Unavailable." This indicates that your application is not complete.
If the "additional application information" link is not available and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to the CareerConnector portion of the application.
If your contact information changes after the closing date of this vacancy announcement, send your updated information to legalvacancy@fincen.gov to ensure you can be contacted throughout the selection process. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
